BRUSSELS 

The European Union on Tuesday criticized a decision by the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, to annul part of a 2005 law that had ordered Jewish residents to evacuate from four illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, urging it to step back from the move. 

In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's office said that repealing the legislation affects efforts to de-escalate tensions and prevents the possibility of taking confidence building measures.

Reminding the parliament of the EU's stance on Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, the statement noted that these settlements are an obstacle to peace and threaten the two-state solution.

It also called on Israel to revoke a law passed in parliament Tuesday which would enable 10,000 Israelis to resettle four outposts in the northern occupied West Bank that were evacuated in 2005 -- Homesh, Sa-Nur, Kadim and Ganim.